The Gods of EN World have spoken and demanded their brethren, the master of lightning and storm: Thor! A lot of folks have requested Thor but I was asked to move him up the Mythological Figures queue so here he is! There is a plethora of mythology on Odinson here—check out Wikipedia or the Ancient History Encyclopedia for more information. The really important bits that get into the stats below are his belt, gloves, and of course his hammer. I really blew it out with Sun Wukong however (he'll post soon!), so today let’s focus on the build because Thor’s extremely well known these days (although as a blonde fellow and not a redhead which is strange).

Design Notes: Thor here is a straight-up power build (inspired by one of my PCs who I’m trying to retire because paladin + eldritch knight is devastating and multiclassing those archetypes is weird). On that note, “eldritch knight” is a great example of one of those game terms that straddle the OGL and the 5ESRD—it’s a term that’s covered by a previous OGL in the context of a prestige class (not a class archetype), but because it’s under that OGL and I’m not explicitly using the wording of the features of that archetype (explicitly being the key word) it’s fit for print. Anyone interested in seeing some more IP treatment of Thor can check out a decidedly more Marvel-bent build over yonder, although if your goal is to make your character a RAW Thor—what’s below is one way to go about it provided you can get the three key items here.

Also of note I was really torn on figuring out what the classic Thor’s alignment is—on the whole he seems to be good, but often enough he’s doing something nefarious or untoward that I landed on neutral, but another ENWorld user pointed out that Lawful Good is more appropriate. For that little bit of divinity factor and a way to shoulder into his hits to really be a powerhouse he's got some feats which I'm sure you can all figure out the official names for. The CR calculation for brought him in at only 13 but I think given his damage potential (all those smites!) that it should be something more like 15.

What do you folks think? My Norse-fu is weak and I’m keen to see how this can better embody the god of thunder so tell us what you’ve got!

Background Feature: Commoner’s Friend. Thor is always able to rely on the hospitality of commoners to help him hide or rest provided he poses no danger in doing so, going so far as to shield him from being discovered (though not at the cost of their lives).

Action Surge (1/short rest). Once on his turn, Thor can take an additional action on top of his regular action and a possible bonus action.

Bonded Weapon: Mjölnir. Thor’s hammer can only be disarmed from him when he is incapacitated. In addition, as long as he is on the same plane of existence as Mjölnir he can use a bonus action to summon it into his hand.

Danger Sense. Thor has advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that he can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, Thor can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

Disrupting Arcana. When Thor hits a creature with a weapon attack, it has disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes to resist a spell before the end of Thor’s next turn.

Divine Sense (2/long rest). As an action, until the end of his next turn Thor knows the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of him that is not behind total cover. He knows the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence he senses, but not its identity. Within the same radius, he also detects the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.

Divine Smite. When Thor hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, he can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 3d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.

Feat: Fortune Points (3/long rest). Thor can spend one fortune point to reroll an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, or to force an attacker to reroll an attack made against him.

Feat: Power Attack. When Thor makes his first melee weapon attack in a turn, he can choose to take a -5 penalty to his melee weapon attack rolls in exchange for a +10 bonus to melee weapon damage. In addition, Thor can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack after he uses a melee weapon to reduce a creature to 0 hit points or scores a critical hit with it. Thor can only use this feature on his turn.

Indomitable (2/long rest). Thor can reroll a saving throw that he fails but must use the new roll.

Járngreipr. Thor’s magic iron gloves allow him to wield the hammer Mjölnir as a maul instead of a warhammer and are otherwise treated as gauntlets of ogre power.

Lay on Hands (10 points/long rest). As an action, Thor can touch a creature and restore a number of hit points to it, up to the maximum amount remaining in this pool. Alternatively, he can expend 5 hit points to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it.

Megingjörð. Thor’s magic belt increases his Strength to 21 (as a belt of hill giant strength; without it his Strength score is 15). While wielding Mjölnir, wearing this belt, and the gloves Járngreipr Thor’s Strength increases to 25.

Rage (2/long rest). On his turn, Thor can enter a rage as a bonus action. He is unable to cast or concentrate on spells while raging (although he can still use Divine Smite). His rage lasts for 1 minute, ending early if he is knocked unconscious or if his turn ends and he hasn’t either attacked a hostile creature since his last turn or taken damage since then. Thor can also end his rage on his turn as a bonus action. While raging, he gains the following benefits.

Lightning Aura. Thor can use a bonus action while raging to make lightning jump out from in him a 10-foot radius. Total cover blocks this lightning. He chooses a creature in the area when he activates this feature, forcing it to make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 3 (1d6) lightning damage (success halves).

Reckless Attack. When Thor makes his first attack on his turn, he can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives him advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against him have advantage until Thor’s next turn.

Second Wind (1/short rest). On his turn, Thor can use a bonus action to regain 1d10+14 hit points.

Spellcasting. Thor is an 8th-level spellcaster that uses Intelligence as his spellcasting ability (spell save DC 15; +7 to hit with spell attacks). Thor has the following spells prepared from the wizard’s spell list. In addition, he can cast paladin spells[D] as a divine spellcaster (using Charisma; spell save DC 15; +7 to hit with spell attacks).
Cantrips: light, prestidigitation, shocking grasp

War-Magician. Thor can use a bonus action to make one weapon attack after casting a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action.

ACTIONS

Extra Attack (2). Thor attacks three times.

Mjölnir (Hammer of Thunderbolts with 5 charges).Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6+8) magical bludgeoning damage. When Thor rolls a 1 or 2 on either of the damage dice, he can reroll the die and must use the new roll. On a critical hit against a giant, the giant must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or die.

Thrown Mjölnir (1 charge).Ranged Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6+8) magical bludgeoning damage and all creatures within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of Thor’s next turn.

I have a contribution which has nothing to do with stats - but just to say - a little known fact is that, according to Icelandic legend, Thor was half-Black, half-White. He was the son of Memnon the Ethiopian.

In art (such as pictured above) he's "always" depicted with red or blond hair, and that, of course is a traditional way of depicting him. Yet really according to that legend, he could also be depicted as with brown skin, as a "Black Thor":

Hmm... I think this is an odd entry. Previous entries were mythological or real heroes. Thor is a god. He was 2nd only to Odin and the feats he accomplished were well beyond a mortal. I don't think a PC write up is the correct method to represent him in 5e. IMO, he should at least be at the level of Tiamat - and probably stronger.

So I disagree that this is a RAW Thor. As you cannot make A RAW Thor with PC rules, you need to use the monster rules.

Always appreciate this series, but I completely disagree with the choice of a god as a PC.

While Thor is the Norse personification of Thunder and therefore worshiped as a god, he is also just flat out got up to a lot of adventures.

I could see a PC write up that focused on the abilities he showed in those adventures as a mythic Hero. Primarily hammer throwing, feats of strength, and slaying lots of monsters.

As far as I know he never called any lightning. In Myth he causes Thunder by the sound of his hammer hitting enemies, so I'm not sure Lightning Aura fits.

The spellcasting is a bit of a problem too. More suited to a Vanir than an Aesir like Thor (Odin gets away with using magic as he is the king of the gods, Loki is a trickster and at least half Giant, but Tyr, Baldur, Freyr etc wouldn't be caught using magic).

Also you'll need 13 Cha to multi-class class into Paladin. Though I'm not sure what it gets you that suits mythological Thor beyond just more damage.

I think If i were leaning toward a Thor build I'd shoot for something simple but powerful with a terrifying hammer. A Champion/Zealot multiclass maybe. Or possible straight Barbarian as Thor isn't typically known for a lot of attacks, as much as a few that hit very hard.

High physical stats, low mental stats since in the Poetic and Prose Eddas Thor never really displays any powers of deductions, perception, or winning friends and influencing people. In fact he's pretty easily manipulated by Odin in disguise, frost giant illusions, Loki etc. High physical stats might be a good reason to go straight Barbarian. Max Barbarian strength with the Hammer of Thunderbolts would grant Strength 28 which is pretty epic.

As far As equipment goes you nailed it. Gauntlets, Belt, and Hammer are the classic Thor combo the equipment is derived from in the first place. Side note: I never liked how the devs made the 5e Hammer of Thunderbolts a Maul. It's particularly bad for Thor as Mjölnir has an extra short handle due to Loki transforming into a fly and harassing the dwarves who were making it.

While Thor is the Norse personification of Thunder and therefore worshiped as a god, he is also just flat out got up to a lot of adventures.

I could see a PC write up that focused on the abilities he showed in those adventures as a mythic Hero. Primarily hammer throwing, feats of strength, and slaying lots of monsters.

As far as I know he never called any lightning. In Myth he causes Thunder by the sound of his hammer hitting enemies, so I'm not sure Lightning Aura fits.

The spellcasting is a bit of a problem too. More suited to a Vanir than an Aesir like Thor (Odin gets away with using magic as he is the king of the gods, Loki is a trickster and at least half Giant, but Tyr, Baldur, Freyr etc wouldn't be caught using magic).

Also you'll need 13 Cha to multi-class class into Paladin. Though I'm not sure what it gets you that suits mythological Thor beyond just more damage.

I think If i were leaning toward a Thor build I'd shoot for something simple but powerful with a terrifying hammer. A Champion/Zealot multiclass maybe. Or possible straight Barbarian as Thor isn't typically known for a lot of attacks, as much as a few that hit very hard.

High physical stats, low mental stats since in the Poetic and Prose Eddas Thor never really displays any powers of deductions, perception, or winning friends and influencing people. In fact he's pretty easily manipulated by Odin in disguise, frost giant illusions, Loki etc. High physical stats might be a good reason to go straight Barbarian. Max Barbarian strength with the Hammer of Thunderbolts would grant Strength 28 which is pretty epic.

As far As equipment goes you nailed it. Gauntlets, Belt, and Hammer are the classic Thor combo the equipment is derived from in the first place. Side note: I never liked how the devs made the 5e Hammer of Thunderbolts a Maul. It's particularly bad for Thor as Mjölnir has an extra short handle due to Loki transforming into a fly and harassing the dwarves who were making it.

Whelped that's my 2 cents for whatever their worth.

Right you are about the multiclassing--swapped his Intelligence and Charisma around, and ashamed I missed that. From what Yaarel told me (re-post that message here, dude!) he used magic but it was definitely not a major aspect, and I thought the best way to incorporate that (although an odd one) was Eldritch Knight since it kept him heavily martial. He does do enough magical things that I felt it was merited. Incidentally I made Shao Kahn the other day (for other reasons not at all to do with EN World) and he fit 20th level barbarian perfectly. Comparing that to Thor or considering Beowulf is going up in this column eventually, I shied away from full barbarian.

Right you are about the multiclassing--swapped his Intelligence and Charisma around, and ashamed I missed that. From what Yaarel told me (re-post that message here, dude!) he used magic but it was definitely not a major aspect, and I thought the best way to incorporate that (although an odd one) was Eldritch Knight since it kept him heavily martial. He does do enough magical things that I felt it was merited. Incidentally I made Shao Kahn the other day (for other reasons not at all to do with EN World) and he fit 20th level barbarian perfectly. Comparing that to Thor or considering Beowulf is going up in this column eventually, I shied away from full barbarian.

Oh I'd love to see Yaarel's post then. I can't recall much that was even subtly magical that wouldn't be explained by supernatural toughness and strength.

Also consider me super excited for Beowulf. That mofo rips arms off of trolls.

I have a contribution which has nothing to do with stats - but just to say - a little known fact is that, according to Icelandic legend, Thor was half-Black, half-White. He was the son of Memnon the Ethiopian.

It's an interesting bit of euhemerization, either by Snorri Sturluson himself or as he was taught and recorded it in the Prose Edda. Since he as a Christian he couldn't view the old gods as actual gods - his religion taught that they must have been demons or made up nonsense - so he took the old tactic of Euhemerus and said "oh, these were real people who were just so amazing that after they died people started thinking of them as gods" so he could preserve versions of the old stories without committing some kind of heresy. And he followed Virgil by making Thor a prince of Troy, just like Aeneas, the founder of Rome. (Though he has Odin as the founder of the Scandinavian kingdoms and Odin is a descendant of Thor instead of the other way round, which is weird to modern eyes).

From a game perspective, a lot of gods from our mythology could be considered high level PCs who aren't really gods at all, so long as they aren't worshiped as gods in the game world. They'd make for interesting cameos, or even maybe PCs for the right campaign. Heck most high level PCs could probably replicate the exploits of Thor or Hercules without anyone raising an eyebrow.

From a game perspective, a lot of gods from our mythology could be considered high level PCs who aren't really gods at all, so long as they aren't worshiped as gods in the game world. They'd make for interesting cameos, or even maybe PCs for the right campaign. Heck most high level PCs could probably replicate the exploits of Thor or Hercules without anyone raising an eyebrow.

I agree, this makes a lot of sense. In Greek myth, the boundary is kind of blurry, too. Many of the heroes are actually demigods, meaning that they had divine ancestry of some sort. While not common, some become gods, Aesclepius and Heracles being two notable examples.

I have a contribution which has nothing to do with stats - but just to say - a little known fact is that, according to Icelandic legend, Thor was half-Black, half-White. He was the son of Memnon the Ethiopian.

In art (such as pictured above) he's "always" depicted with red or blond hair, and that, of course is a traditional way of depicting him. Yet really according to that legend, he could also be depicted as with brown skin, as a "Black Thor":

I'm not posting this to be provocative or to delve into racial questions - I'm genuinely interested in African and Norse mythology. Just something offered as along the lines of: "huh!"

It's likely that Snorri didn't appreciate that Memnon would have been black, and he certainly didn't think Thor was. This is what he writes of Thor two sentences after he asserts the deity's Ethiopian parentage: "When he took his place amongst other men he was as beautiful to look at as ivory inlaid in oak; his hair was lovelier than gold." It was common for Medieval Europeans to depict African figures as looking (and dressing and acting) just like themselves. Aside from Thor here, you can see it in portrayals of the Perseus and St George myth(s), or of the legend of Prester John.

Right you are about the multiclassing--swapped his Intelligence and Charisma around, and ashamed I missed that. From what Yaarel told me (re-post that message here, dude!) he used magic but it was definitely not a major aspect, and I thought the best way to incorporate that (although an odd one) was Eldritch Knight since it kept him heavily martial.

I... would say it's a good idea as a general rule to request that Yaarel provide citations for his statements before believing them.

I... would say it's a good idea as a general rule to request that Yaarel provide citations for his statements before believing them.

I'm not the head of a tribunal so documentation is not necessary for folks to share their thoughts. That said he seemed to be pretty close to this subject and I think was subtly pushing for me to call Thor here by the (what I presume is his ancient) name "Þórr". He's probably having a busy day and will chime in soon I reckon.

I'm not the head of a tribunal so documentation is not necessary for folks to share their thoughts. That said he seemed to be pretty close to this subject and I think was subtly pushing for me to call Thor here by the (what I presume is his ancient) name "Þórr". He's probably having a busy day and will chime in soon I reckon.

He's close to the subject, but his conclusions differ markedly in many places from the scholarly consensus. I also am close to the subject, and I find myself having to challenge, correct, or counterbalance what he's said an awful lot.

"Þórr" is just how you spell "Thor" in Icelandic. As far as the evolution of his name goes it's the most recent draft.

Hmm... I think this is an odd entry. Previous entries were mythological or real heroes. Thor is a god. He was 2nd only to Odin and the feats he accomplished were well beyond a mortal. I don't think a PC write up is the correct method to represent him in 5e. IMO, he should at least be at the level of Tiamat - and probably stronger.

So I disagree that this is a RAW Thor. As you cannot make A RAW Thor with PC rules, you need to use the monster rules.

Always appreciate this series, but I completely disagree with the choice of a god as a PC.

I *did* include a link to the more godly Marvel-ed Thor but I hear ya. You will be displeased with Sun Wukong too I think, but I'm trying to make these things that a GM can use reasonably easily and the response to Coyote as a warlock patron was not super great. Mythological Figures are definitely long in the tooth and wording, but it's all features people know already so still something that's functional, and I'm doing my level best to keep them within the range of play to boot so avoiding high CRs.

That said I'm working on Baba Yaga now and there's a monster-built entry on the way.

My discussions about Viking Era Norse folkbelief correspond to the consensus of Norwegian archeologists and linguists.

By contrast, English speakers tend to overly rely on scientifically obsolete Romantic Era German scholars. Generally, these German scholars conflated data from divergent cultures into a fictitious, homogeneous, ‘Germanic’ people, that failed to appreciate how different these cultures and worldviews are from each other.

My discussions about Viking Era Norse folkbelief correspond to the consensus of Norwegian archeologists and linguists.

By contrast, English speakers tend to overly rely on scientifically obsolete Romantic Era German scholars. Generally, these German scholars conflated data from divergent cultures into a fictitious, homogeneous, ‘Germanic’ people, that failed to appreciate how different these cultures and worldviews are from each other.

Poignantly, the name ‘Germanic’ is non-Norse.

You made a lot of good points in the message you sent last week and I won't post it here (that doesn't seem cool of me to do) but you totally should.

I *did* include a link to the more godly Marvel-ed Thor but I hear ya. You will be displeased with Sun Wukong too I think, but I'm trying to make these things that a GM can use reasonably easily and the response to Coyote as a warlock patron was not super great. Mythological Figures are definitely long in the tooth and wording, but it's all features people know already so still something that's functional, and I'm doing my level best to keep them within the range of play to boot so avoiding high CRs.

That said I'm working on Baba Yaga now and there's a monster-built entry on the way.

I clicked on the link and I like what you did, but still not quite a "god" IMO

When it comes to gods and this series I would prefer one of these options:

1) Don't do gods at all. Stick to heroes / heroines that can be represented by PC stats
2) Do deities as warlock patrons. I had not issue with the Coyote article, but personally would have preferred it as its own series.
3) Stat gods as monsters / npcs, similar to Tiamat in RoT (or stronger)

But that is just me, it is your show and I find it interesting regardless. I look forward to Baba Yaga.

My discussions about Viking Era Norse folkbelief correspond to the consensus of Norwegian archeologists and linguists.

What are those discussions or where can someone read about them. I believe I am personally more familiar with the "english speaker" version I got from my old books on mythology. i would be curious to hear other versions. That is what I love about myths, there is rarely one "correct" answer. People often miss that. I am familiar with several different versions of Greek & roman mythology, but I am not familiar with the different versions of Norse mythology. If you could point me in the right direction it would be appreciated.

Conversely, I believe that is a failure in D&D lore in general. They have have not done enough to provide different stories of the same events. They treat it to much like history and not myth. That is another aspect of 4e that I liked, as it seemed to do a better job of present stories of gods like myths.

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